COLLEGE BASEBALL: Rider clinches MAAC crown

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — With its split of a doubleheader with Marist on Saturday, Rider claimed its first regular-season MAAC crown and will be the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. In Rider’s first season in the MAAC (1998) the Broncs won the MAAC South, the final year that the conference was split in North and South Divisions.

The win also gives Rider 34 victories on the season, a new team record.

As the top seed, Rider (34-19, 18-5 MAAC) will play the fourth seed, Siena, at 7p.m. on Thursday in the first round of the MAAC Championship tournament, hosted by Rider at Arm& Hammer Park.

In the second game Saturday, junior Nick Crescenzo hit a two-run, two out double and sophomore Greg Fazio followed with an RBI single in the fourth inning to give Rider a 3-0 lead.

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With two hits in the doubleheader, Fazio now has 96 career hits.

Sophomore Justin Thomas led off the seventh inning with his first home run of the season to give Rider a 4-0 lead. It was Thomas’ second hit of the game and the third of the day.

Sophomore Kurt Sowa started and pitched four innings, allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out two for the win.

With the victory, Sowa (11-1) sets a new Riderrecord for wins in a season. The previous record of 10 wins was set by Jack Lackey in 1963 and tied by College World Series star Bob Koehler in 1967 and Major League all-star Jack Armstrong in 1985.

Junior Mike Murphy pitched the final three innings for the save, his first since 2010.

In the opener, Marist broke the game open with four runs in the third inning on five hits and a Rider error to take a 7-1 lead.

Rider scored three runs in the sixth inning on three hits, including a two-run double by freshman James Locklear and a Marist error to cut the lead to 7-5. Locklear had three hits, including two doubles, in the doubleheader.

The Red Foxes came right back with three runs on four hits to take a 10-5 lead after six innings.

The Broncs cut the lead to 3-1 on a sacrifice fly by senior Ian Lindsay in the top of the third inning.

Marist scored three runs in the second inning on two doubles and two singles, all with two outs, to take a 3-0 lead.

Rider and Marist play the third game Sunday at 12 noon. A Rider victory would meanthe Broncs will have won all eight MAAC series this year.